Mechanism for operating bucket elevators or the like.



No. 802,047. PATENTED OCT. 17, 1905.

O. KRELL.

MECHANISM FOR OPERATING BUCKET ELEVATORS OR THE LIKE.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 8, 1904.

s sums-sum 1.

No. 802,047. PATENTED OCT. 17, 1905. 0. KRELL.

MECHANISM FOR OPERATING BUCKET ELEVATORS OR THE LIKE.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 3, 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

No. 802,047. f PATENTED OCT. 17, 1905.

I '0. KRELL. v MEUHANISM FOR OPER'ATINGBUGKET ELEVATORS OR THE LIKE.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.-8. 1904.

O O O 0 O ,wmiwas dies 0 of the buckets.

UNTTEI) STATES PATENT OFFIQE.

OTTO KRELL, OF NUREMBERG, GERMANY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. i7, 1905.

Application filed November 8, 1904. Serial No. 231,927.

To all whorm it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, OTTo KRELL, director, a subject of the GermanEmperor, residing at Nuremberg, Bavaria,Germany, have invented new anduseful Improvements in Mechanisms for Operating Bucket Elevators,Oonveyer- Chains, and the Like, of which the following is aspecification.

In the endless cam chains hitherto employed for driving conveyor-chains,bucket elevators, and the like each driving-cam is rigidly and immovablyconnected with a link of the chain. So long as a link of the chain restson one or the other of the two chainwheels carrying the driving-chainthe end of the cam which comes in contact with the projections on theconveyor-chain as it stands farther away from the axis of the chainwheel(the cam-chain link itself) moves with greater speed than the latter;but while moving in a straight line between the chainwheels both thespeed of the driving-chain and the speed of the cam exactly coincide.Consequently the ends of the cams undergo each time a sudden alterationof speed which involves a vigorous jerk on the conveyerchain, bucketelevator or the like at the moment at which the respective chain-linkrises off one chain-wheel and when it runs onto the other chain-wheel.

Now this invention has for its object to allowof the driving ofconveyer-chains, bucket elevators, and the like free from jerks. Thismay be attained by giving the driving-cams the form of elbow-levers,which are mounted on the chain-pins and during the movement in astraight line in the direction of the conveyor-chain slide with one armin fixed straight guides.

Such means of driving conveyer-chains, bucket elevators, and the like isshown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a section onlines 1 l of Fig. 2, and Fig. 2 a section on the lines 2 2 of Fig. 1;Fig. 3, an isometric view, on an enlarged scale, of a propelling-cam onthe drivingchain, showing the form and attachment. Figs. 4 and 5 areside views of such a driving device, in which,-however, the guides forthe one arm of the elbow-lever-shaped drivingcams are inclined at theirends.

The separate forwarding or conveying buckets Z) of an ordinary bucketelevator or conveyer are mounted on two rails a by means of two rollerscZ, mounted on the spin- These spindles a, which lie one behind theother, are connected by a suitable drawing appliancefor instance, a rope0. Above a straight portion of the track a there runs an endlessdrive-chain g on two chain-wl1eelsf"f operated by motive power. Pins it,standing at equal distances apart on said chain, are prolonged on bothsides and form pivots for two similar-shaped elbowlevers a" 11 theoutwardly-extending arms 6 of which are combined to form a catch 6 Thesecatches a come in contact with the spindles a between the ropes e, andthus move the said spindles, with the buckets Z2, forward.

The lever-arms Z of the driving-cams 2'", extending forward in thedirection of the movement of the driving-chain, carry externally to thepins it and also at the outer end laterally-projecting loose rollers 79*and 7c, which during the travel of the members of the driving-chain in astraight line roll along in the direction of the conveyer-chain orbucket mechanism in fixed guide-bars m, provided with longitudinalgrooves Z. The grooves Z are kept straight between those places at whichthe driving-chain 9 comes off the driving wheel f and gets onto thedrivingwheel f.

The method of Working the conveyer-chain and the like driving mechanism,hereinbefore described, is as follows: In running off the chain-wheelflocated at the entrance side, the cam-rollers it" come into the groovesZ, whereby the cams 2' are turned into their driving p0sitionthat is tosay, are placed against the spindles 0 of the bucket mechanism Z) c, theconveyor-chain, or the like. The cams 2' then only have a driving actionon the bucket mechanism Z) 0 when the respective guide-rollers k in arein the said straight piece of the grooves Zthat is to say, when the cams71 travel with uniform speed in the direction of the bucket mechanisminother words, in a "straight line. In practice it is very difiicult toobtain a uniform pitch of the driving-chain and the bucket mechanism orconveyer-chain. In the case of inequalities in these pitches a jerkydragging movement of the bucket mechanism, conveyor-chain, or the likeis produced, whereby their connecting partsfor instance, the ropes earegreatly strained, and thereby results a great loss of power. To avoidthese drawbacks, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the lower portion m of thestraight grooves Z, which portion serves as the surface onto which therollers Zr Z0 of the driving-cams Z mount, are prolonged at both endsand these prolongations are so formed that the cams i gradually passover into their driving position and are gradually released from thisposition. 5, the pitch of the bucket mechanism, the conveyer-chain, orthe like is greater than that of the driving-cams i only the rearmost ofthe driving-cams eachtime held by the straight part of the guide-groovesZthat is to say, always only i the one which has the last come intoaction can bear against the respective contact 0 and carry with it thebucket mechanism or conveyer-chain. The next following cam i, on theother hand, cannot bear against the contact 0 belonging to it, as therollers Z0 sinking down under the action of their own weight turn awaythe cams 2' from the contact 0 until the driving-chain g havingprogressed the rollers k of the drivingcam i run on the guide-surfacesm, and thereby are slowly lifted or pressed up again. By this means thedriving-cams i are slowly pressed against the contacts 0 belonging tothem, and simultaneously asuitable release of the previous cam 71* isoperated, so that any jerking action is avoided. In case the pitch ofthe contacts of the conveyer-chain is smaller than that of thedriving-cams the corresponding operations take place at the exitside,which may be easily followed by reference to Fig. 4:. This improveddriving arrangement also prevents any jerky action'ii' either thedriving-chain or the bucket mechanism or the conveyer-chain are slightlyirregularly divided, and consequently the pitch sometimes of one andsometimes of the other chain is the greater. Whichever of the camsbelonging to the driving-chain at a given moment may find itself inaction, (because on the straight driving stretch the mutual distance ofthe cams from the respective contacts 0 undergoes no alteration) it canonly come out of engagement in such a way that one of the cams i passingover the prolongations of the guide-bars m comes permanently ortemporarily into action, which quite suflices to prevent any jerks.

In the driving-cam gear hereinbefore de- In case, as shown in Fig. w

scribed the use of any auxiliary means hitherto employed for mitigatingthe shocks and jerks in the transfer of the movement to the bucketmechanism, the conveyer-chain,

or the like may of course be dispensed with. More particularly it isadmissible to employ chain-wheesl of small diameter, (sixteen teeth andless.) Further, the speed, and thereby the effectiveness, of the bucketmechanism, conveyerchain, or the like may be increased without injury.Further, a modification may be adopted by which for driving very widebucket mechanisms or the like two driving-cam chains lying side by sidemay be employed which are driven each from toothed wheels of uniformsize mounted on a shaft common to both.

I declare that what I claim is 1. In adriving mechanism for bucketmechanism conveyer-chains and the like, in which the bucket mechanism,conveyer-chains or the like is driven by means of an endless drivingcamchain running parallel to the bucket mechanism conveyer-chain or thelike, the drivingcams consisting of elbow-levers 71 mounted on the boltsof the chain one arm 2' of which levers, between the places where thedrivingchain runs off one chain-wheel f and onto the other f is guidedin straight grooves Z, of the framework and has a driving action whiletraveling at a uniform speed in a straight line in the direction of thebucket mechanism conveyer-chain or the like (Figs. 1 and 2)substantially as described.

2. The driving mechanism comprising the drums,the chain,arms connectedthereto, cams formed on said arms and the portions having groovestherein forming ways for said arms, said grooves being inclined at therunning-off or running-on portions of the drums, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

OTTO KRELL. Witnesses:

ANDREAS STIOH, OsoAR BOOK.

